Chelsea have suspended Enzo Fernández for the club’s next two matches, a sanction that his representative describes as unjustified and excessive. The decision follows comments Fernández made in an interview that prompted coach Rosenior to say “a line was crossed.”

Javier Pastore, the player’s agent, told The Athletic: “The punishment is completely unfair—banning the player for two matches.” He added: “I think it’s far too harsh given Chelsea’s current situation, and there’s no real reason or justification for why he has been banned … at no point did he show a lack of respect towards the club, his teammates, the fans or anyone else.”

Pastore said Fernández was surprised by the punishment. “Enzo didn’t understand the situation,” Pastore said. “When the coach told him, he accepted it because he’s a highly professional guy who’s always fully committed wherever he is and respects decisions, but we don’t understand the punishment because he doesn’t mention any club or say he wants to leave Chelsea, far from it.

“He only mentions Madrid, the city, because he was asked which European city he’d like to live in one day, and he said Madrid because of the language, because it’s similar to Buenos Aires and because it’s logical—it’s only natural for an Argentine to say that—and also because of the culture, the weather … but at no point does he say he wants to leave Chelsea or London.”

The suspension removes Fernández from selection for Chelsea’s FA Cup trip to Port Vale and the Premier League meeting with Manchester City next weekend. Both fixtures carry significant weight for the club, with a place in the FA Cup semi-finals at stake and a potential swing in the Champions League race.

Pastore confirmed there had been “talks” to renew Fernández’s contract, which expires in 2032, but the two parties “couldn’t reach an agreement.” He suggested the stalled negotiations could have “annoyed the club,” and said the camp will meet Chelsea again after the World Cup, where Fernández will star for Argentina. He warned: “There are other factors that influence decisions, whether it’s salary, respect or the way things are handled … there are so many things that we aren’t seeing at the moment—or at least I, as an agent, am not seeing—that suggest the club is not handling things in the best possible way with him.”

Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has confirmed vice-captain Enzo Fernández will be unavailable for the club’s next two fixtures after a series of public comments about his future.

“I spoke with Enzo an hour ago,” Rosenior told assembled media on Friday ahead of the FA Cup quarterfinal against Port Vale. “As a football club, with me as part of the decision, he won’t be available for tomorrow’s game or Manchester City next Sunday.

Date

Opponent

Competition

Saturday, April 4

Port Vale (H)

FA Cup quarterfinal

Sunday, April 12

Man City (H)

Premier League

Rosenior stressed the choice was collective. “In terms of the decision,” the 41-year-old outlined, “it’s not all about me, or the sporting directors, the ownership, the players, we are aligned in our decision.” The two-game sanction removes Chelsea’s second-top scorer and leading assist provider for a vital Premier League meeting with Manchester City on April 12.

The manager connected the punishment to a turbulent spell of results and public remarks. “A lot of this stems from a difficult 10 days,” Rosenior said, pointing to an end-of-March run that included elimination from the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain and defeats to Newcastle United and Everton. Chelsea’s 8–2 aggregate defeat to PSG on March 17 preceded Fernández’s repeated, ambiguous reply to transfer rumours: “We’ll see.”

After a “great conversation” with Rosenior Fernández described himself as “very comfortable” at Stamford Bridge, but while on international duty he spoke more openly. In an interview for Avirales he said: “I’d like to live in Spain, I really like Madrid; it reminds me of Buenos Aires,” and “Players live where they want. I’d live in Madrid. I get by in English, but I’d be more comfortable in Spanish.” Those comments appear to have been decisive for the club.

Rosenior left the door open for Fernández’s return after the sanction. “Enzo, firstly, as a character, a person and a player, I have the utmost respect,” Rosenior gushed, adding there has been “no lack of commitment” in his performances. “He’s frustrated because he wants us to be successful. “… The door is not closed on Enzo. It’s a sanction. You have to protect the culture and in terms of that, a line was crossed.”

On the wider squad, Rosenior said: “I had a fantastic chat with Marc yesterday, half an hour in my office,” and: “My disappointment in Marc’s interview was where it went to, I think he should’ve spoke to us first about how he was feeling. As a football club, we know we need to improve. We know what we’re going to do in the summer to achieve those objectives.”

Enzo Fernández has become a focal point of unrest inside Chelsea following public comments about Real Madrid and his future.

Sources say prolonged contract talks stalled and a mid-March report from Argentina that the midfielder was open to leaving Chelsea intensified tensions. In the aftermath of Chelsea’s humiliating Champions League elimination, Fernández publicly refused to rule out an exit with the delightfully cryptic response of “we’ll see. ” He pledged his commitment to Chelsea just a few days later after a negative reaction from fans, but reports say he then resumed publicly flirting with Madrid.

Fernández has also questioned the decision to part ways with manager Enzo Maresca in January and, during the international break, is said to have twice mentioned a desire to live in the city of Madrid without naming any club. In an interview with LUZU TV in his native Argentina, Fernández name-dropped Luka Modrić and Toni Kroos as inspirations, a comment whose timing has been questioned inside the squad.

Those inside the dressing room have reportedly been disturbed by what they see as a player of significance casting doubt over his own future. The same reports add Fernández has grown more vocal during a run of defeats, openly berating teammates on the pitch and failing to hide his anger once the cameras are off.

A notable episode came after a mistake by goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen against Paris Saint-Germain, which drew an on-field outburst from Fernández. Former teammates, including Mason Mount and Noni Madueke, have been targeted by on-field taunts and hot-headed moments from Chelsea’s vice-captain. Several within the squad believe those incidents have done more to unsettle the club than the conduct of others.

Mikel John Obi addressed the situation on his Obi One Podcast and did not hold back: “That’s not a leader,” he fumed. “That’s something where if you have leaders, if you have leaders that players respect and look up to, you wouldn’t come out and make those statements because you’d be thinking, ‘How is this going to go down in the dressing room? How is this going to go down with the top players, the big players, when they see this?’

“You were the captain in that game and you come out and make those statements … how would that go down well with the senior players in the dressing room?

“He’s looked at it and he’s thinking, ‘Who the f— is going to hold me responsible in that dressing room?’ No one! The leadership is not there.

“So he thinks, ‘I can come out, say whatever the f— I want, no one is going to hold me responsible,’ and that’s exactly what happened.

“For him to come out and make such a statement after we’ve been disgracefully dumped out of the Champions League, and you come out after wearing the captain’s armband … no player is bigger than the football club.

“If he’s had enough, put your hands up, f— off and we move on. We move on. No player is bigger than the football club, especially a club as huge as Chelsea.”